The Lakers were one of the teams to pull international exhibition duty this season, and faced off against Euroleague champions Barcelona in a sort of homecoming for Pau Gasol on Thursday.
The star for Barcelona wasn't any of the above-mentioned names, though. It was Pete Mickeal, a former Cincinnati Bearcat with zero NBA appearances. Mickeal had a game-high 26 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and a game-high 7 assists.
And he's not letting the Lakers forget about it.
On his HoopsHype.com blog, Mickeal lays out why -- contrary to what Lakers coach Phil Jackson thinks -- he believes Barcelona could compete with the NBA teams over an 82-game schedule.
Kobe, obviously, has respect for FC Barcelona because he competed against us for 25 minutes. He didn't played team basketball, or passing the ball, he was playing too much one-on-one. Here it's kind of a different game. The NBA is a great, great League. But here in Europe there is good basketball too.
We had a little conversation on the court that went like this ...
Kobe said to me "Hey, this game might get you in the NBA," trying to be a smartass. "If you think that, then put your money where your mouth is," I replied. "I put my $10 million against your $100 million."
Mickeal also had some business for Ron Artest, who reportedly said "Pete who?" when asked pre-game how he'd defend Mickeal. But that business was left on the court, where this happened just minutes into the game
This may have been an exhibition for the Lakers, but Mickeal, at least, was gunned up for the game.
As to whether Barca could put away the Lakers when it matters: We may have an answer in a couple years. FIBA is trying to get Euroleague and the NBA to participate in its new World Club Championship, similar to soccer's FIFA Club World Cup, Champions League and roughly 700 other club tournaments.
LAKERS/CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: Jackson worried about Bryant's condition
The Lakers hit the ground running Saturday.
Well, most of them anyway.
Kobe Bryant still isn't fit to practice every day after having offseason knee surgery.
Andrew Bynum still isn't ready to practice or play after his knee surgery. Luke Walton still isn't recovered from a hamstring injury.
Of the three, Lakers coach Phil Jackson sounded most concerned about Bryant, who played only six minutes in last Monday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in London and then 25 in a defeat against Regal FC Barcelona on Thursday in Spain.
"I didn't like the way he looked on the floor, personally," Jackson said of Bryant's play against Barcelona. "He wanted to be competitive and tried to keep the game competitive. He's decidedly not ready to play yet.
"He went out and made an effort, which is nice, but I'm going to have to talk to him about some of his progress as we go through this training camp. - Right now, he just doesn't have the power, just doesn't have the strength.
"I think he's doing OK, but he's going to have to find that strength and he will. Right now, obviously, he can't get his shot off (because he doesn't have the strength in his knee). - Kobe, we don't know how he's going to be ready when the season starts."
Bryant scored 15 points on 2-for-15 shooting against Barcelona on Thursday, when the Lakers squandered a 12-point lead in the second half and also were outplayed by the Euroleague champions.
Bryant and the Lakers have a little more than two weeks worth of practices plus six exhibition games to play before beginning their chase for a third consecutive NBA championship Oct. 26 against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.
"Some of our guys are in pretty good condition, but not basketball condition," Jackson said.
"Just knowing the timing it takes to play the game, feeling the comfort zone and how to play basketball is something they're looking for. They're still getting their feet out on the ground."
Ron Artest agreed with Jackson.
"Practice, then the road, then back to practice, then jet lag, then the road, then practice, I don't know if we're in shape or we're not right now," Artest said. "It will take a couple of weeks to settle down and see where we are."
Ron being Ron
Artest talked at length about losing weight, saying he hoped to begin the season at 245 pounds, which would be down from the 260 he usually carries. He said he had stopped drinking alcohol over the summer, avoiding the carbohydrates in beer. He also revealed he had been drinking alcohol "since I was about 15 years old."
Artest said he hoped the weight loss would help ease his pursuit of standout forwards such as Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant in the Western Conference. He said he would worry about the "big weight guy" later. Artest meant Le- Bron James, the Miami Heat's 250-pound forward.
"LeBron, he's not losing weight," Artest said, laughing.
Then out of nowhere, with his conversation with reporters apparently at an end, Artest smiled wickedly and added, "Even if they legalize marijuana (with a California ballot initiative Nov. 3), I won't be smoking marijuana."
Clippers make cuts
The Clippers trimmed their roster to 15 players, releasing free-agent rookie guards Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Stephen Dennis (Kutztown University) and veteran free-agent center Jake Voskuhl.
Scheyer played just 19 minutes over two of three games the team has played, missing all four shots he attempted. Dennis played 54 minutes over the three games, hitting five of 14 shots. Voskuhl played only at Golden State on Friday night, going 17 minutes and missing both of his shots.
The Clippers are scheduled for a two-hour practice this morning. They are scheduled to board a flight to Mexico City this afternoon, where they will take on the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night.
The Clippers play their first preseason home game Thursday night at Staples Center against Denver.
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